


Cadet Adora

by KingdomKey1121



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Gay Panic, Humor, Military Academy, No Smut, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:55:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25775488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingdomKey1121/pseuds/KingdomKey1121
Summary: Cadet Kelly AU - Adora’s stepfather becomes the commandant of a military boarding school and Adora must attend. There, she strikes up a fierce competition with Cadet Captain Catra - but is there something more stirring beneath the Cadet Captain’s hostility?
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 54





	1. Boarding School??

**Author's Note:**

> So it turns out that my favorite thing to do is take formative rom coms from the early 2000's and Make Them Gay™ . (See: She's the Man AU). Enjoy? You're welcome? I'm sorry?

Adora Collins never really fit in anywhere. Sure, she tried - and boy did she try! Even her best friends Glimmer and Bow saw how much she tried. They did their best to tame her. It wasn’t her fault she wanted to be good at _everything_ and help _everyone_ in need. Sometimes Adora came on too strong. It was times like this that Bow and Glimmer could only steer Adora away by the shoulders and apologize profusely to the retreating, offended figure. 

“Wait, I just want to help!!” Adora would whine as she was wheeled away by her friends.

“How do you know they wanted help?” Glimmer would reply scathingly.

And Bow could be relied upon to soothe the tension with a gentle, “There are plenty of other people in the world who need an Adora.”

So it was no surprise to Bow and Glimmer (or to Adora’s mother) that when her stepfather announced his intentions to apply for his dream job, Adora wanted to support him in any way she could. No matter that she did not have a close relationship with her stepfather, or that the decision could relocate the family far away. 

Adora was the queen of selflessness.

“What is your dream job and why didn’t I know you had one?” Adora asked at dinner the night he mentioned anything about it.

“I grew up as a military kid as you know,” Hordak said, spearing his asparagus expertly. “The academy I attended for high school had the Commandant position open, the same one my father held for thirty years.”

“Oh,” said Adora, glassy-eyed, fork halfway to her mouth. “Sounds so official. You should definitely go for it.”

“You know what that would mean, right honey?” said Octavia, both real and glass eye fixing her daughter with a stare. 

“Yeah - Mr. Hordak would get to work in his dream job!”

“You don’t have to call me that,” Hordak said, side-eyeing Octavia, who sighed.

“I just don’t want to get you and my other dad confused,” said Adora. The food on her hovering fork finally succumbed to gravity and plopped back onto her plate. “What should I call you?”

Hordak eyed her, towering over her menacingly. Adora always had to try to not be intimidated by her stepfather, forever a military man. 

“You can just call me Hordak. Or Sir.”

“Sir Hordak?”

“No, just Sir.”

“Okay!” said Adora brightly. “Sir Hordak kinda sounds like a knight of the round table anyway.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Octavia. “But Adora -- if Hordak gets this job you know that means we’d have to move upstate right?”

Adora hadn’t honestly thought of that. Her face fell and she surveyed her plate. There was silence at the table, Hordak and Octavia waiting for an outburst that never came.

“That’s okay,” Adora finally said. “Sometimes we have to do what’s best for everyone.”

And so it was that when Hordak got word that he had snagged the Commandant position at George Washington Military Academy, Adora had to face the reality that her whole world was about to change. Adora tried not to show anyone that she was upset - she had been a vocal proponent of this after all - but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t let Bow and Glimmer show their sorrow at the change of plans. 

“Are you freaking kidding me?!” Glimmer groaned, suddenly at Adora’s bedside as though she had teleported there. Adora’s two best friends were prone to climbing through her bedroom window to hang out with her in secret, but Glimmer had a particular knack for being exceptionally quiet and startling Adora, making it seem as though she appeared out of thin air. 

Bow was right on Glimmer’s heels. 

“Adora, you can’t leave us! What about the Best Friend Squad?” he said, gesturing to the figurines on the bedside table. Bow was a man of many crafts and one of his creations was a set of three mini figurines each with the appearance of Bow, Glimmer, and Adora. Each Best Friend Squad member had their own set, hand-carved and painted by Bow himself. They were one of Adora’s most prized possessions.

“I know, I know, it sucks,” said Adora candidly, flopping onto her bed in dismay. She pulled a pillow over her face. “Why did I give my blessing?”

“Because that’s just who you are,” said Glimmer, seeming to suddenly appear on the other side of the bed. She sat down on the edge and put a comforting hand on Adora’s forearm. “It probably won’t be that bad. Will it?”

“An all-girls boarding school sounds -- interesting,” added Bow, flinching.

“Wow, you’re making me feel so much better,” said Adora, voice still muffled by the pillow over her face.

“Do you think if you had been against the idea of your stepdad applying for the job that he wouldn’t have done it?” Glimmer asked.

“I don’t know, I can never read Hordak. I mean Sir. God, I’m really going to have to get used to that, huh? He’s going to basically be my principal.”

“That is going to be strange for sure,” confirmed Bow.

“But what about you guys?” asked Adora, changing tack. “Are you going to be okay without me?”

“Of course,” said Glimmer at the same time Bow cried. “NO!”

Glimmer shot a glare at Bow, whose mouth was in a pout.

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to make this harder on her?” Glimmer said to him, betrayed.

“I can’t help it, it’s just so sad that the Best Friend Squad is breaking up!”

“We’re not breaking up,” said Adora, finally removing the pillow from her face and sitting up. “We’re just going long-distance.”

“SAME THING!” Bow wailed, grabbing the pillow instead and burying his own face in it.

“I’m just worried about the military part of this whole equation. Aren’t you nervous getting wrapped up in all that?” asked Glimmer.

“I mean, yeah a little. But how bad can it be?” Adora said, as always trying to find the silver lining.

“But you have to wake up early in the morning and do drills and exercise all the time,” Glimmer continued, shuddering. “Sounds like torture.”

“If Hordak -- I mean, Sir -- can do it, why not me?”

“Hordak has lived his whole life in military culture. I’m just saying it’s going to be a big departure from what you’re used to. I don’t want you to go in swinging blindly. Bow, quit it!”

Bow was still sobbing dramatically into the pillow. Upon mention of his name, he straightened up and dropped the pillow. His face was curiously dry...

“Just be careful, Adora,” said Bow, no trace of tears in his voice. “The people in military school are going to have a much different mindset than us or anyone at our school now. Some people will be there because they want to be. Terrifying.”

“I’m sure they’re great people,” said Adora. Seeing her friends’ faces, she added, “But not as great as the Best Friend Squad, obviously!”

“Good save,” said Bow.

“And you have to wear uniforms and stuff too, right?” said Glimmer.

“Yeah, but that’s okay. You know me -- I throw on the first thing I see in the morning and put my hair in a pony. Simple, easy, fast. I’m low maintenance anyway.”

“And you have to --” Glimmer started again, but Bow shushed her.

“Instead of interrogating her about every little negative thing, why don’t we do what we came here for and enjoy Adora’s company while it lasts?”

“Wow, that was the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” said Adora.

“I’m just saying…” said Bow.

“You guys will come visit when I get days off right?” asked Adora anxiously.

“Of course!” said Glimmer. “We’ll come when you call, whenever you need us.”

“Within reason,” said Bow. “Like obviously not on a Tuesday afternoon…”

“Oh I see how it is,” said Adora, grabbing the pillow smacking Bow across the face with it.

As Glimmer joined in wielding her own pillow and the girls began ganging up on Bow, Adora sincerely hoped this wouldn’t be the last ever night of spontaneous Best Friend Squad hangouts. She knew that things were going to change and that she wouldn’t be a 5 minute drive from them anymore, but she wanted the Best Friend Squad to last forever. Was that even possible? Or had she damaged that chance irreparably by encouraging Hordak’s career aspirations? Sure, she’d made her family happy, but what about her friends? She may have hurt them with this decision and that was something she could never forgive herself for.

The day before the move, Micah, who was in town from a tour, came to say “happy trails”. That was the first time Adora actually felt herself tearing up. This was really real now. Her bags were all packed and their house was virtually empty, the furniture all loaded into the moving truck that was parked in the driveway. They were staying in a hotel that night and driving all day tomorrow. 

When she saw her father Adora nearly burst into tears. To stop herself, she buried her face in his shirt and hugged him as tight as she could.

“Hey, baby girl,” he said gently, knowing without having to ask how upsetting this must be for her. He would also know (because he was the same way) that she would not have shown her tears to Octavia or Hordak.

Micah was a professional magician (which is just as nerdy as it sounds) and spent much of his time on the tour bus with his crew. So it wasn’t as though this move was going to wrench Adora away from her dad, but something about seeing him for the last time right before this big life change cemented the seriousness of the moment. She hadn’t even cried saying “see you later” to Bow and Glimmer.

Adora felt a couple of teardrops wet Micah’s shirt and she pulled away, not wanting her emotional weakness to leave trace evidence. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, head down surreptitiously. 

“It’s gonna be okay, baby girl,” Micah said, placing a hand on her cheek. “Hey, look what I found.”

The oldest trick in the book - Micah moved his hand behind her ear and removed it, twiddling a coin between his fingers.

“How did that get there?” he said, grinning at her.

Adora snorted in amusement despite herself. That was her dad’s go-to when she was feeling down; he was corny, no doubt about it.

“Oh, hi Micah,” came Octavia’s voice from behind Adora. Micah and Octavia had a very amicable divorce. You could even argue they would still be good friends if Micah wasn’t in a different state every month. 

“Well hello! How are you all getting on? Packed and all?” asked Micah.

“Yes, all ready to go,” said Octavia. “So glad that you could make it to send us off. It means the world to Adora.”

Micah smiled down at his daughter and gave her a one-armed side hug. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Where’s the Dak?”

“ _Hordak,”_ Octavia corrected pointedly, “Went ahead of us. He had to start his post already. We will meet him there tomorrow.”

“Good, good. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

“At least stay for dinner,” Adora said, tugging on his arm.

“No, I’ll leave you to it. So glad I got to see you off. Love you, baby girl.”

“Love you too dad. I’ll call and tell you all about it.”

Micah leaned down and in an undertone said, “if you hate it and need me to save you _let me know._ ”

“I will,” said Adora, but she doubted the sentiment. Micah was fun, emotionally supportive, and could certainly be relied upon to attend graduations and recitals. But his touring lifestyle didn’t really suit a teenager who needed to go to school and have a social circle. She knew he meant well anyway and kissed him on the cheek to prove it.

* * *

The dreaded first day of George Washington Military Academy snuck up on Adora and suddenly, it seemed, she was standing on the lawns in a pressed tan uniform, expecting the worst. Hordak had to work and Octavia was unpacking so Adora was left to fend for herself. 

She was used to stares and whispers - at her old school she was the opposite of popular. She was a “get in the way” kind of girl there. But even after a few minutes of being on GWMA’s campus, she noticed immediately that her uniform came with a certain kind of social protection. She looked just like everyone else. No one even spared her a glance, not even the line of cadets that marched past her with long white rifles resting on their padded shoulders. 

Adora, with newfound confidence, picked a path and not even caring where it took her, started down it. She even smiled at people she passed, swinging her arms in delight, reveling in this strange new world she had found.

She noticed people saluting to each other and excitedly picked up the habit. She saluted everyone, giggling and twirling in circles as people passed.

 _Now_ she was getting a few looks, but Adora didn’t care. She kept on saluting - _way_ more fun than waving! This would be the first thing she would tell Glimmer and Bow about. 

On her last twirl she lost her balance and side-stepped into a nearby gaggle of students, stepping on one’s foot. 

“Oh, sorry,” Adora said, still giggling and snorting at herself.

“You’d better be, _maggot_ ,” came the sharp reply from the cadet she had stumbled into.

Adora stopped laughing immediately and straightened up. The cadet in question was dark and brunette, with different colored eyes. She was SO intimidating, thought Adora.

Adora was at a loss for words. The other cadet looked her up and down.

“Are you new or something?” she barked.

“Yes! I’m uh, Adora,” she said, pointing to her name tag. She realized too late that her name tag only had her last name, so she hurried to correct herself. “Uh, Collins.”

“ _‘Maggot’_ suits you just fine,” said the other cadet. “I’m Cadet Captain Catra Stone and don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t,” said Adora, but the captain had already turned around.

Captain Stone’s friends had kept walking without her, so with one more glare over her shoulder at Adora, she jogged to catch up with them.

Maybe this wouldn’t be quite as easy as Adora had first thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll, it is so hard to assign Adora and Catra parents when they are orphans in canon. I almost had Adora's mom as Angella and I just couldn't fathom how she would have ever gotten with Hordak. The things you do for a decent crossover...


	2. Cadet Captain

Finding her sleeping quarters took a bit longer than Adora would have liked. She stopped trying to salute everyone who passed because, clearly, that was too dangerous of an activity. Instead, she took to nodding solemnly at her fellow cadets, trying to show them (and herself) how serious she could be. She kept wondering if she would run into Hordak. Maybe he would assist her in finding her barrack. That, or…. maybe he would be embarrassed by her and leave her to her own devices. 

She decided she didn’t want Hordak to find her in this predicament after all.

As though sent from the heavens to save her, a feather-light finger suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. Adora jumped about a foot in the air and turned, holding up her hands in a karate-like defensive stance. She didn’t know a lick of karate, but the reflex came from all those years of Bow and Glimmer hiding around corners to scare her.

“ARGH!!!” cried Adora.

“Hi!” came a nasally, high-pitched voice. “Sorry for startling you. You just looked lost.”

Adora, heart pounding in her chest, lowered her hands and looked down at the girl speaking. She was shorter than Adora, her hair tucked neatly into her cadet cap. She had on a pair of thick-rimmed plastic glasses and a sly grin. There was a slightly manic look in the eyes behind the framed lenses. The nametag on her tan uniform shirt said, “Dryl.”

“Hi,” said Adora, breathing heavily. “How could you tell I was lost?”

“Oh, basic human behaviorism - walking idly, surveying the buildings with glassy eyes, no sense of determination in a destination - plus you’re without company and don’t seem to know anyone on campus. I’ve certainly never seen you before, so I deduced that you were brand new to GWMA and completely and utterly lost!”

Her voice sped up and raised in volume as she neared her conclusion. Adora noticed too late that the girl was reading out of a notebook, into which she appeared to have written all of her observations.

“Uh-- have you been following me?”

“Not for very long, I preferred an interaction to ascertain if my theory was correct. Was it correct?”

The girl surveyed Adora expectantly. Slightly unnerved but not wanting to refuse help when it showed up uninvited, she confessed.

“You’re right, I _am_ lost.”

“I KNEW IT!” shouted the girl, making Adora jump (again). The strange girl began scribbling furiously into the notebook and muttering under her breath.

“Is this… some kind of weird social experiment or something?” Adora asked, wondering if the girl was actually going to help her or just stare at her like a lab rat and leave her to die of embarrassment.

At this question, the girl froze and her head, as though on a hinge, slowly panned up to fix Adora with that unnerving stare.

“How did you knoooooow?” she asked, drawing out the last word in awe.

“Just seemed kinda clinical, that’s all,” said Adora, not wanting to offend. She was still hoping this girl was going to offer to help show her to the barracks.

“Oh, it is. All science, even behavioral, is based on hypothesis, rigorous observation, and analysis. I was having a lot of people tell me that I needed to learn more about human interactions. I admit it’s not my strong suit, not like physics and robotics, but once I realized that behaviorism is a science in itself, it made it all a lot more fun for me!”

Then she laughed loudly and without (as far as Adora could tell) humor. Once the laughter had abated, Adora held out her hand in greeting.

“I’m Adora,” she said.

Instead of receiving Adora’s handshake, the shorter girl saluted and said, “My name is Entrapta Dryl and I’m a Yuk!” 

“You-- what?” asked Adora, thinking she hadn’t heard correctly.

“I’m a Yuk - it’s what we call second year.”

“Oh…” said Adora, still lost. “Well I guess I’m also a ‘yuck’ too.”

“No, no, a Y-U-K,” said Entrapta, drawing out the word’s pronunciation.

“I’ll take your word for it,” said Adora, wanting to move on.

“Which barracks are you in?” Entrapta asked.

This is the moment Adora had been waiting for. “I’m in building 3 but I’m not sure where it is.”

“That’s where I am! Follow me, uh… what was your name, again?”

“Adora…?”

“Cadet Adora, follow me!” And at that, Entrapta spun on her heel and trotted off in the opposite direction from where Adora had originally been heading. This tour guide was obviously needed.

Adora fell into step beside Entrapta, hoping to make conversation. To her surprise, the shorter girl was scribbling in her notebook, tongue sticking out between her teeth in deep concentration. She must have been well practiced at this, as she had no trouble at all walking at the same time. 

All hope of conversation lost, Adora took to looking around the campus. Now that she wasn’t scrambling to find her way, she felt she could enjoy the view. The whole place kind of reminded her of Hogwarts or something; brick buildings with moss growing up the sides. The lawns were very well kept and there were mature trees spaced evenly throughout. As they passed through the quad, Adora noticed a gaggle of students with those white rifles again. The quick pow-wow ended and the students assembled into a line, holding position. After a shout from a tall, muscular figure, they began to fling their rifles around in unison. Loud clacking sounds echoed around the quad, almost like a bass line to a song.

“Whoa!” said Adora instinctually. “What are they doing?”

“Oh, don’t worry, they’re not loaded,” said Entrapta calmly. Adora was surprised the girl had even known what Adora was referring to. 

“That’s the drill team,” Entrapta continued. “We don’t have sports teams so they’re the closest thing. The aerodynamics are _fascinating_.”

“Huh,” said Adora, still watching intently. “Still looks dangerous to me.”

Then Adora noticed a familiar face in the drill team line-up; that same mean cadet captain that Adora accidentally fell into earlier. Not wanting to even let the captain spot her, Adora circled around to Entrapta’s other side and bowed low, shielding her face from the drill team with an open hand.

To Adora’s relief, Entrapta didn’t even notice anything was amiss. She was back to her scribblings.

It was only a few minutes and a couple of turns later that Entrapta successfully (and blindly) led Adora into the building 3 barracks. There was nothing special about them, just one long gray hallway with bunks on either side. It reminded Adora of what she’d seen of women’s prisons and she found herself repressing a shudder. At the end of the long hall were two doors, one labelled “CADET CAPTAIN” and one labelled “LATRINE.” There were several students loitering around the hall but thankfully none of them noticed the new girl.

Not that Adora needed a _ton_ of privacy but... this was going to take some getting used to. 

Before Adora could take it all in, Entrapta had already ambled away down the center aisle between the bunks. Left with no choice, Adora followed her. She had no idea how to even know which bed would be hers and didn’t want any prying eyes.

About halfway down the room, Entrapta stopped and sat down in a lower bunk. When Adora caught up she noticed that there were plaques with names at the end of each bunk. That made Adora feel instantly better, although now she didn’t want to wander aimlessly around the room looking for the one with her name on it.

She chanced a glance to the side and saw that, miraculously, the plaque on the lower bunk to the left of Entrapta’s read: “Cdt. Collins.”

Without wasting a second, Adora flung her over-the-shoulder bag atop said bed and collapsed onto it with a huge sigh. The cot was nothing special - in fact, it felt military-issue. That is… very hard and uncomfortable. Adora tried not to let it bother her. Instead, she reached into her bag and after rummaging around for a few seconds, pulled out the three mini figurines of the Best Friend Squad that were her pride and joy. She carefully balanced them at the head of the cot, just above her pillow, and sat back to admire them.

“Are those anime characters?” came Entrapta’s voice very close to Adora’s ear, making her jump. “I don’t know anything about anime except that my sister Emily watches it.”

“No, they’re not characters,” said Adora, trying to still her beating heart. “They’re my friends. This one’s me, see?”

Adora held up the figurine with her own likeness for Entrapta’s inspection. Without looking away, Entrapta pulled a magnifying glass out of her own bag and peered through it at the figurine. She stared for such a long time that Adora started getting restless and uncomfortable.

“I suppose I do see the resemblance,” Entrapta said finally, stowing the magnifying glass back in her bag. “Why are you putting them on that bed?”

“Well the bed has my name on it, so I’m assuming it’s mine.”

“Oh, I get a bunk mate?” Entrapta said, brightening up. “I thought they were going to leave the beds on either side of me empty forever. Maybe now I’ll make a friend!”

A pang went off in Adora’s chest. Entrapta didn’t have any friends?

“I’ll be your friend!” she said. 

“Oh good!” said Entrapta. “Wait ‘till I tell Emily.”

And she went right back to scribbling in her notebook. Adora watched her for a moment, then replaced the figurine of herself back on the bed frame and sank down onto her back.

“Now what?” she wondered aloud.

“Now we wait until the cadet captain comes for evening inspection,” said Entrapta without looking up from her notebook, “and then it’s lights-out at 21:00.”

“Twenty-one hundred hours?” repeated Adora. “Sorry, I don’t speak ‘military’ yet.”

“That would be equivalent to 9pm.”

“9pm?!” said Adora, sitting up quickly and smacking her head on the bunk above her. “But my mom lets me stay up until midnight!”

Entrapta just shrugged, sucking on the end of her pen in concentration. She still hadn’t looked up.

Yep, there would be a lot to get used to around here.

She spent the rest of the evening texting Bow and Glimmer and playing phone games. Bow was fascinated by the sound of Entrapta but Glimmer couldn’t get over the drill team.

Glimmer 8:16pm  
 _Does no one at that school believe in gun control??_

Adora 8:18pm  
 _Around here, the drill team_ is _gun control._

Bow 8:18pm  
 _< /3_

She also sent off a few texts to Micah to let him know that she’d made it. She didn’t expect a reply (he was probably performing in a magic show) but she thought it would be good of her to notify him that she was still alive and kicking.

After a solid half hour, she got bored of her phone and glanced over to see what Entrapta was up to. Maybe she could try to make conversation again. The notebook was nowhere in sight; instead, Entrapta was tinkering with some small trinket, like a watch.

“What’s that, Entrapta?” she asked.

“Top secret,” said Entrapta with a sly grin. 

“Okay…” said Adora. She went quiet, looking around the room. It was filling up, getting louder and louder as all the girls caught up with each other about their summers. A group of three cadets across the aisle from Adora were chatting excitedly about something. She could hear snippets of their conversation:

“...are you wearing? _I’m_ going in…”

“...boys from outside the school are finally...”

“...too fond of this year’s theme but…”

Adora turned to Entrapa, a lurch in her stomach.

“What are they talking about? Does GWMA have dances?”

Entrapa looked up at her for once. “Of course, we’re not savages. There’s one the first Friday of the year as a ‘welcome back.’”

“No way!” said Adora, somehow not expecting this. “That sounds fun.”

“I never go,” said Entrapta. “It’s not really my scene. Plus I don’t own any dresses!”

She said this last part matter-of-factly, no hint of disappointment or sadness in her tone.

“We should go!” said Adora. Dances weren’t really her thing either but she was determined to throw herself completely into this school. A dance sounded like just the thing to start her socialization. “I have a few dresses, you could borrow one! I’m sure my mom could hem them if they’re too long.”

“Well--” started Entrapta, but Adora interrupted her immediately.

“No excuses! This is the kind of things friends do!”

“Friends?” said Entrapta, smiling slightly.

Before Adora could reply, a whistle sounded from the entrance of the building and there was a great commotion as every cadet clamered to the ends of each bunk, forming two long lines all the way down the long gray room.

Even Entrapa snapped to attention at her place in the line. There was a spot for Adora, too. She tentatively joined her fellow cadets. Furtively peering to each side, she mimicked how each was standing; heels together, hands at their sides. She squared her shoulders for good measure and that in turn made her raise her chin higher. It actually made her feel good, powerful. Like someone impressive!

There was now near-silence in the room, save for two pairs of boots taking their sweet time coming down the aisle. She supposed this was the pre-bedtime inspection. Not a word was being spoken. Adora desperately wanted to lean forward and watch the inspections, but she thought better of it. The cadet across from her was staring, unseeing, at a point just above Adora’s left shoulder. It was intimidating and Adora couldn’t help but glance around the room. She couldn’t quell the feeling that she was being stared at, could see the cadet opposite her out of her peripherals. The boots came closer and closer.

Adora’s heart leapt into her throat when the boots finally came into view. This was way scarier than she could even imagine. She took a leaf out of the other cadet’s book and found a spot on the wall to stare at.

The boots stopped right in front of her.

“Well if it isn’t the maggot,” spat the cadet captain. This made Adora glance toward the voice to find Catra Stone was the speaker, the inspector, and she was _looking right at Adora._

Adora gulped but couldn’t look away. There was something mesmerizing about the smirk on the captain’s face. Terrifying, yes, but… bold and urging.

“New to my barracks, I see,” continued Captain Stone, stepping closer, her boots squealing on the linoleum. Her bi-colored eyes scoured Adora’s face, then looked her up and down like a predator sizing up its next meal.

“What’s your name, cadet?” came a voice from right behind Captain Stone. It was warmer, less commanding. The companion in the back was very tall and muscular, holding a clipboard.

“Adora Collins.”

“ARE YOU GOING TO FINISH THAT PHRASE, CADET?” Captain Stone suddenly shouted into Adora’s face. Adora flinched from the unexpected verbal assault and felt flecks of spit hit her cheek. 

On her left, Entrapta piped up. “Permission to speak, ma’am!”

“Permission granted,” said the captain lazily, rolling her eyes.

“Cadet Collins doesn’t know proper military etiquette. This cadet volunteers to coach Cadet Collins on her military etiquette, ma’am!” called Entrapta, emotionless, never looking away from the spot she had chosen on the wall. 

Adora watched as Captain Stone sized up Entrapta as she had just done to Adora. For a fleeting moment Adora wondered if she should stop making eye contact with the captain, for no one else was, but she was too entranced by the proceedings. 

“I expect Cadet Collins to be up to speed by the end of the week, Cadet Dryl,” snapped the captain, turning on her heel to face down the aisle, toward the back of the room.

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” called out Entrapta, sounding more and more like a robot. Is that how they were all supposed to talk to one another? It was very… formal.

“Ah, yes I see you here on the list, Cadet Collins,” said Stone’s companion. She made a check-mark on her clipboard, then made to follow the captain. But before they even made it two paces…

“Wait, Sgt. Garnet,” said Stone, holding up a hand to halt her companion.

Captain Stone leaned backwards, fixing her eyes on something just behind Adora. It was all Adora could do to not turn and see for herself what had caught Stone’s eye.

“What are those?” asked Stone slowly, eyes flicking back to Adora.

Adora didn’t say anything, not knowing what was happening. Was Stone asking Adora or someone else?

“CADET COLLINS,” Stone shouted, making Adora start and clap her open palms harder to her thighs. “WHAT. ARE. THOSE?”

Adora finally threw a glance over her shoulder and realized what had so grabbed Stone’s attention: the mini figurines of the Best Friend Squad.

“Decorations for my bunk,” said Adora, trying to imitate that emotionless tone she’d heard in Entrapta’s voice earlier. Then she added, “ma’am,” as an afterthought.

“Decoration of any kind is not permitted in the barracks,” said Stone, drawing out every word, massaging the sounds as they came out of her mouth. She was enjoying this, enjoying torturing Adora. “If I see those again you will be punished, _maggot_.”

The last word was a sting. Stone turned away, satisfied, and continued her inspection. No one else was interrogated like Adora. She even saw other ‘decorations;’ blankets and stuffed animals other cadets had brought from home. Only Adora had gotten a talking-to. Morbidly embarrassed and _extremely_ pissed off, she tapped a finger insistently on her pant leg, longing to move and scream out her frustration.

Why was it that _Stone_ was her cadet captain? What was the universe punishing her for?

Once the inspection was finally done and Stone had shut herself up in her private room at the rear of the barracks, Sgt. Garnet gave them a five minute warning before the lights-out.

Adora swiped the mini figurines off of her headboard and hid them under her pillow for safe-keeping. Why couldn’t she have _one thing_ to remind her of home? It was ridiculous.

The five minutes went fast and soon the whole room was plunged into darkness. Adora lay on her side, clutching her figurines under her pillow, seething. 

It just wasn’t fair. Adora had just arrived at GWMA and was learning a brand-new environment. Somehow, she had made an enemy before making a friend. Why in the world did Captain Stone already have it out for Adora? Is this just how it is for every newbie?

But no one else in the inspection had gotten the same treatment.

Restless, Adora turned onto her stomach, bunching the scratchy blankets into her fists, staring at the underside of the bunk above, ruminating, formulating plans for this Captain Stone. 

Because, frankly… two could play at this game. Stone had simply rolled the dice first.


	3. Drills

The next morning was hell. A godforsaken whistle, blasted by Sergeant Garnet, was the wake-up call at exactly oh-five-hundred-hours, or 5am to normal folk. Only crazy people would voluntarily wake up that early. The cadets were given five minutes to get dressed and get in line for morning inspection. Captain Stone stalked out of her lair like the devil herself, wearing a grin like a cat who had just caught its first meal of the day. Adora hoped desperately that the cadet captain wouldn’t stop to nitpick her again, but the hope was in vain. 

“You call that uniform presentable, cadet?”

Adora repressed an exasperated sigh and eye roll.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Stone let out a hiss of air and rolled her own eyes.

“Cadet Dryl!”

“Yes, ma’am?” piped up Entrapta.

“I thought you had volunteered to assist Cadet Collins.”

“Yes ma’am!”

“I’m not seeing any improvement so far.”

Adora bit her tongue, not wanting to start any trouble at 5am on her first day.

“I will do better, Captain!”

“Good,” said Stone, fixing me with a glare. She paused for a moment, then reached out and took Adora’s collar in her hands, roughly jerking it around to “put it in its place”. As soon as Stone’s hands touched her shirt, Adora felt her naval give a tug. It was a strange sensation; a mixture of hatred and something else that Adora couldn’t place. Disgust, maybe?

“There,” said Stone when she was done manhandling Adora’s uniform. “Make sure you are presentable tomorrow, cadet. This is just shameful.”

“Yes ma’am,” Adora said, trying to keep her voice steady. She would NOT let it betray her if she could help it.

Finally, the cadet captain moved on and Adora found she could barely stand still again. She wanted to run and scream, or slap the shit out of Captain Stone. Or both. 

Bow and Glimmer were going to get one hell of a rant later when she had free time to use her phone. No idea when that would be.

When they were finally released from Attention (“At ease, cadets,” Sergeant Garnet called, clipboard ever in hand), the whole barrack spilled out the doors and onto the lawn, single-file. Adora couldn’t help but sing that “ants go marching two by two, hurrah” song in her head as they did.

Adora leaned forward toward Entrapta and in a stage whisper asked, “are all cadet captains as mean as Stone?”

Entrapta shushed her with a hand. Then a few steps later shot a “No, not really” over her shoulder.

“Why is she like that?” Adora pressed, but Entrapta waved a hand at her and Adora got the message. She’d have to wait until their free time to get more answers.

The cadets stopped when they got to the quad. Another whistle blew and Sergeant Garnet started bellowing instructions. Why they didn’t just use a microphone was beyond Adora.

And thus began physical training (or PT). Adora had never played sports but sometimes over the summers she would do P90X with Octavia. In other words, she was no stranger to exercise and she definitely liked how it made her feel, but she wouldn’t say that it was _fun_ to work out.

They started with burpees, then went into a few other body-weight exercises including push-ups and crunches. Captain Stone left Adora mercifully alone during these drills, but Adora couldn’t help but keep one eye fixed on her at all times, in case she decided to wander over and make Adora’s morning even harder.

PT was a challenge and Adora could tell that she was going to be sore (just from how unfit she was when she arrived at GWMA) but it was do-able and it definitely woke her up. She could probably get used to that. She had also heard that the most productive and successful people woke up early and exercised before work or school and she was up for that.

When all of that nonsense was over, it was time to shower, change, and head out to breakfast.

Adora couldn’t believe how much they had all gotten done since waking up and it wasn’t even 6:30. Taking a hot shower after all that was divine but it made her sleepy. The one good thing about exercising so early was the big rush of endorphins and energy it gave. Now, however, the steamy water was lulling her into a daze. GWMA was an uncomfortable transition but at least they didn’t make the cadets take cold showers.

After exiting the shower and getting all suited up again, it was time to head out to breakfast in the mess hall. Adora stuck close to Entrapta, ready to use her as a human shield if Captain Stone were to ambush her. Luck was on Adora’s side, however, and they did not run into the cadet captain.

Once they had piled their trays high with protein and carbs and tucked themselves into the long tables, Adora brought it up with Entrapta again.

“Okay but seriously, what is Stone’s problem?”

At mention of Stone’s name, the immediate vicinity of the mess hall quieted down and whipped around to stare at their table. Adora put her head down and covered her mouth with a hand.

What if Stone was nearby and had heard?

Entrapta didn’t notice anything was amiss in the mess hall. “I personally think she is an excellent cadet captain. She’s rough around the edges and that makes her a good leader,” she said, picking at her potatoes with her fork. Adora wasn’t sure if she agreed with that one but the familiar prickling on the back of her neck was an indication that her “helper” instinct was rearing its head. She shoved it down and metaphorically sat on it; there was a time and place for that… and it wasn’t now, not when Glimmer and Bow weren’t around to mitigate the impulse.

The mess hall was slowly getting back to its normal volume. There had been no angry outbursts from across the room, which meant Adora had not intercepted the wrath of Stone. She swept her eyes around the room just in case… but Stone was nowhere to be found.

“What are you looking for?” Entrapta asked, now scribbling in her notebook once again. 

“Nothing…” said Adora, thinking that Entrapta would not understand her compulsion to crack the nut that was Captain Stone.

Before long, it was time to get to her first class. 

On the way, she passed by Stone and Garnet in the quad, the captain barking commands to the other. Adora wondered about this dynamic. Was it always like this? Shouldn’t there be… mutual respect between a cadet captain and her sergeant? 

Adora stared for a moment too long; Stone glanced her way and caught Adora’s eye in the middle of a sentence. Instead of averting her gaze, as was her instinct, Adora held Stone’s eye. The Captain’s mouth twisted into a snide smile, then she turned away, leading Sergeant Garnet in the opposite direction.

The classes themselves were about as normal as they could be at GWMA. The only real difference was that all the cadets had to stand at attention when the teacher walked in and sit when they snapped, “at ease!” The powerpoints and lectures and hand-raising were all familiar to Adora. The only thing she was nervous about was the fact that these classes were (apparently) as hard as Advanced Placement back home. Adora had been in a few AP classes but hadn’t opted for as many as could possibly fit in her schedule, like Bow had.

Thankfully, it seemed that Entrapta was in almost every one of her classes. Adora had the feeling she would be able to at least ask Entrapta for help in the sciences if need be.

And so the rest of the day passed in a blur of standing/sitting on command, marching, and note-taking. It was almost a relief that the day was so overly-structured, as there was so much going on that it would be hard for Adora to keep it all straight otherwise. 

Dinner was promptly at 5:30 and right after that was the coveted *FREE TIME*. Adora scarfed down her meal so she could go back to the barracks and check her phone for notifications. It had been harder than she’d like to admit to be away from her pocket computer for so long. She figured Entrapta would not care (or maybe even notice) if Adora just disappeared from the dinner table early, for she was once again writing furiously into her notebook.

As Adora was leaving the mess hall, however, she spotted Captain Stone seated near the wall with Sergeant Garnet and a few other higher-ranking students. Adora recognized some of them from that weird gun-slinging club - or the armed drill team as it was formally known. Again, her instinct was to hide and hope she wasn’t seen by Stone, but a stubbornness arose inside her, making her stand up straighter, almost _wanting_ to be noticed. Was this part of some kind of subconscious scheme to crack the nut?

Stone didn’t seem to notice her but now Adora was dreading inspection later. What would the cadet captain do to harass her tonight?

Adora got turned around a couple times on her way back to building three but when she finally arrived, she was among the first back. There were a few other cadets who had also been in a hurry to check on their phones. 

Adora saw when she got back to her bunk that she had eleven notifications: ten from the Best Friend Squad group text and the other from Octavia. As anxious as she was to see what the group chat had in store for her, she decided to check on her mom’s first. 

Octavia 12:09pm  
 _How’s your first day, sweetie?_

A pretty standard mom text. Adora sent a standard reply back.

Adora 6:03pm  
 _it’s fine! v. different (obvi) haven’t seen Sir yet, should i have? made a friend with the girl in the bunk next to mine. gonna be so fit by the end of the year!_

Good enough. No need to mention Stone and her wrath just yet. Adora was hoping she could get that situation under control before it blew up in her face. 

Next, on to the Best Friend Squad.

Glimmer 7:30am  
 _adoooora! i’m so sad i have no one to ride the bus with anymore T_T_

Bow 7:49am  
 _and we’re not in homeroom together for the first time since FOREVER_

Glimmer 11:11  
 _no more best friend squad lunches!_

Bow 11:12  
 _come back to usssss!!!!!!_

Glimmer 12:32  
 _okay, it’s getting a little weird not hearing from you all day, guess it’s just like that at military school_

Bow 12:33  
 _are you alive adora?? did they sacrifice you to the military gods??_

Bow 2:18  
 _okay adora, you’re scaring me. not even a text at lunch??_

Bow 2:45   
_at what point do we start planning the funeral??_

Glimmer 3:03  
 _adora, I apologize on behalf of our friend Bow, who is having severe separation anxiety. i promise all is good here! no need to worry! although it seems like you should! but an update would be nice…!_

Bow 3:05  
 _ADORA COME BACK!!!!!_

Adora chuckled despite herself, even though she ached. She missed them fiercely and it was so sweet how much they missed her too. She typed back quickly, to quell the pain.

Adora 6:09pm  
 _ya’ll need to calm down! they wont let me have my phone except during free time in the evening. i miss you guys too. everything is different._

She sent that text and paused, not knowing how much to divulge. She didn’t want to make them jealous by mentioning Entrapta, and she didn’t want to scare them by talking about how Stone has it out for her. She decided to just wait for a reply.

It didn’t take long:

Bow 6:11  
 _SHE’S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Adora did miss them so, so much, but she just didn’t have the energy to give them a full rundown of her first day. For one thing, she’d been awake since 5am and she was definitely starting to feel it. It wouldn’t be so bad going to bed at 9pm if this was how tired she was going to feel all the time. 

Adora 6:14  
 _i love you two soooooo much, you know that, but i have a lot of hw to get done. the schedule is very strict here. lets definitely have a skype call this weekend tho!_

And with that, she powered down her phone again without waiting for a reply. That’s when Entrapta got back from the mess hall. Plopping down on her bed, she looked across at Adora, scrutinizing through her glasses. 

“You left dinner really early,” she said, stating the obvious.

“Yeah, I wanted to check my phone, see if I had any texts.”

“Oh,” said Entrapta. Was it Adora’s imagination or did Entrapta sound the tiniest bit sad? “Did you have some?”

“Yeah! I had gotten one from my mom and a few from my two best friends. They were just wondering how my first day went.”

“I see,” said Entrapta, sounding even more sad this time. Adora's stomach swooped unpleasantly.

“Hey,” Adora said, a promise coming back to her. “The dance on Friday - I still think you should borrow one of my dresses! Maybe my mom can come pick us up after dinner one of these days. We only live like five minutes away, since my stepdad is the commandant and they needed to house him nearby.”

Upon this confession, a few of the cadets arriving back from dinner stopped to stare at Adora wide-eyed, but didn’t say anything. 

“That sounds like a complicated social interaction…” said Entrapta slowly, completely glossing over the stepdad fact. “And I’m up for it!” 

She stood up and eagerly rushed to grab her notebook. She kept gibbering excitedly: “We don’t have any drills tomorrow evening, maybe we could go then? Is dress fitting a precise science? I suppose it must be in order to fit to its maximum quality...”

Adora let her gabber on, relieved that she seemed to be back to her old self. Entrapta was definitely not the Best Friend Squad, but Adora could certainly make do with her companionship. She had an inkling that they had a lot to learn from each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I finished this fic up for NaNoWriMo! And I hit the word count! Now I'm slowly going through my rushed writing to edit and post. You should see the rest of the story in the next month or two. Yay :)


	4. Obstacles

The thought of getting off campus to try on dresses was the only thing that got Adora through her second day at GWMA. She could even endure Captain Stone’s taunts at the morning inspection. Adora simply stared at the wall, envisioning herself in a fabulous red dress, cinched in the middle with a gold belt. She wasn’t being too imaginative there; she had the exact outfit in her closet at her mom’s house. She had worn it for homecoming last year and it was one of the few dresses she actually liked. It was a miracle she still owned it at all.

The morning turned sour, however, when Stone announced to building three that they would begin training on the obstacle course right after classes on Friday. Sure, classes ended early on Fridays, but seriously? Adora knew Stone was mean but to make her cadets army-crawl through the mud precious hours before the Welcome Back dance was a new level of cruelty. Despite themselves, several of the cadets groaned at the announcement, which made Stone smirk and stop in her tracks. 

“Anyone who has a problem with that can do ten push-ups right now as a warm-up,” she said, her voice low and joyous. Adora hated every second of Stone’s abuse of power, but hated even more admitting sheepishly to herself that there was something about that commanding tone that was alluring to Adora, like a siren’s call. The prickle at the back of her neck was accompanied by a mysterious swoop of her stomach; she ignored both sensations.

When Stone’s comment was met with silence, she barked “I’M SERIOUS CADETS! If you just made a noise of complaint about the training schedule I’d better see you on the ground doing push-ups, NOW!”

With much grumbling, almost every cadet dutifully got down into a plank position and did their ten push-ups. Adora, who had not actually groaned out loud, got down anyway so that Stone would not have an excuse to yell straight into her face as one of the last cadets standing. The prickle at the back of her neck intensified as Stone’s boots neared and Adora ferociously performed her set of push-ups, pretending that it didn’t feel like a desperate bid to impress the cadet captain.

* * *

Earlier in the day, Octavia designated a time and place for Adora and Entrapa to be picked up that evening. On their way to said spot they met none other than Commandant Hordak in the quad.

“At ease, cadets,” he said firmly when Entrapta stood immediately at attention, index finger touching her temple in a salute. Adora had reluctantly followed suit, feeling awkward about how to address her own stepdad, even if he was the commandant. 

“Where are you headed?” he continued once they’d relaxed their stances. He was searching Adora’s face for something, but she wasn’t sure what.

“Home! We’re going to try on dresses for the dance on Friday.”

There was a pause, and Entrapta elbowed Adora pointedly.

“Sir!” Adora added hurriedly, embarrassed of her blunder. 

“Be sure to pick out some nice ones,” Hordak said. “Carry on, cadets.”

He stooped close to Adora’s ear as he passed and said, “I’ll be there later if you’re still around.”

He probably didn’t want to make it too obvious that they were related. Everything at GWMA was very forced and structural. She nodded to him and pulled Entrapta away.

When the pair had reached the meeting spot, Adora noticed Entrapta seemed out of sorts.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Oh, sure,” said Entrapta, still starry-eyed.

“You seem a little dazed.”

“It was interesting to meet the commandant like that, don’t you think?”

“I mean, not really. I expected to see him around. And he is my stepdad.”

“That’s right, you’re related,” she said, eyes wide. “You know, Captain Stone might be easier on you if she knew who the commandant was.”

“Oh no. No, no, no, no,” said Adora quickly. “Stone is my own battle and I want to win fair and square.”

“If you say so,” said Entrapta, shrugging. “Just seems like reasonable information you could use to your advantage.”

“Nope,” said Adora again. “She doesn’t need to know.”

Adora thought about how she hadn’t even told the Best Friend Squad about Stone. For someone she barely saw an hour every day, the Captain did take up a lot of real estate in Adora’s thoughts. She shook her head, hoping to rid Stone of her place up there.

Octavia pulled up in the old maroon minivan that she’s driven since Adora was in elementary school. Adora slid the squeaky door open like it was second nature and hopped in.

“Hello sweetie!” said Octavia. “How have your first few days been?”

“Fine, just fine,” said Adora, scooting over on the scratchy gray bench to let Entrapta in. “This is my friend, Cadet Entrapta Dryl.”

“Hello!” said Entrapta in her high, nasally voice. 

“Nice to meet you, Entrapta.” Octavia pulled out of the parking lot and sped them away. “I understand there is a dance on Friday. Are you two excited?”

“Yes!” said Adora. At the same time, Entrapta said, “not really.”

“Oh, not excited?” said Octavia, eyes flicking to glance back at Entrapta in the rear-view mirror. Adora held back a smile.

“It makes no sense to get dressed up in fancy, expensive clothes to go stand around in the dark.” Entrapta thought of everything…  _ too  _ much about everything. “But I’ll go and try to simulate some vestiges of ‘fun,’ at least for Adora’s sake.”

“Well, that’s awful nice of you,” Octavia, now meeting Adora’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. Adora gave her mom a big thumbs up and a wink; she knew Octavia would have gotten much different reactions from Bow and Glimmer on this subject, but thankfully Octavia was taking it all in stride. 

The house they bought just five minutes from GWMA was practically a mansion compared to the two-bedroom apartment they had occupied back in the city. Adora’s bedroom was upstairs (there was an upstairs!!) and that’s where everything she couldn’t bring with her to the military academy was stored. 

When they’d all gotten through the door and politely taken off their shoes, Octavia left the girls to their own devices, heading into the kitchen.

“Your maternal figure is nice,” said Entrapta, lightly bouncing her hand on the banister as they mounted the stairs. 

“She can be sometimes,” agreed Adora, shaking her head at the serious tone of her companion. They reached Adora’s room and she quickly closed the door, eager for the dressing shenanigans about to commence. “So what colors do you prefer?

Entrapta dropped onto the bed, bouncing slightly. She was so short that her feet didn’t touch the floor; she held them out, tapping the tips of her socked toes together. 

“I don’t know,” she replied. As Adora opened her closet, Entrapta reached up to remove her cadet cap and untie her hair. It was never-ending - she unraveled and unraveled the locks; Adora was absolutely astonished by the length. The hair was reddish-brown but had this peculiar tint of violet to it.

“I got it!” said Adora, rummaging through the hangers. She hadn’t really organized when she had unpacked. At the time she didn’t think she’d be needing any of these clothes any time soon, having not foreseen an event such as this. 

She did eventually find what she was looking for: a blocky, purple gown that Adora had worn for her 8th grade graduation. She had grown a couple of inches since then, but she thought she would keep it anyway, just in case. She was totally a “just-in-case” kinda girl. For what if a new friend at a new school were to need a dress for a school dance and Adora had just the one tucked away in her closet??

She whipped the dress in question out of the tendrils of hangers and showed it to Entrapta. “What about this one?”

Entrapta took a good long look, frowning.

“I think it would go well with your hair,” Adora added. “Go on, try it on!”

“Well, if you think so,” said Entrapta hesitantly. “I really don’t know anything about fashion.”

Adora refrained from telling Entrapta that she didn’t know anything about fashion either. Because that would have been the worst thing to admit in this moment, Adora simply smiled and nudged the dress toward Entrapta instead.

Still hesitant, Entrapta took the purple thing and headed into the en suite bathroom to change. Adora tried to restrain her excitement. She quickly sent a Snapchat to Glimmer and Bow about dress-hunting before she heard the bathroom door opening.

Entrapta emerged as an absolute vision in violet. Honestly, who would have thought that Entrapta’s hair was so long and luscious? It looked so voluminous, even coming out of it’s tight coil, that Adora swore it could have moved on its own. 

“What do you think?”

Entrapta hesitated. “Well, it seems like it is aesthetically pleasing, from an objective point of view.”   
  
“I think it looks great on you!” said Adora. “Not to toot my own horn, but I was  _ so  _ right when I said it would compliment your hair.”

“I will wear this one then,” Entrapta said, and Adora could swear she was blushing. “What are you wearing?”

“Good question!” Adora sprang up to dig the old red dress from her daydreams out of her closet as well. 

* * *

Right before Hordak was due home, Adora dragged Entrapta out of the house, yelling down the hall to where Octavia was making dinner that they would just walk back to campus. Adora didn’t really want to face him again and be forced to catch up about her first two days at GWMA. She still had this pit of shame in her stomach in regards to Captain Stone and didn’t really want to talk to anyone about it. She was scared that if she was cornered and asked how everything was going, intel about her weird fascinations would escape. Until she figured out what was going on, absolutely no one was going to hear about Stone. Except, obviously, Entrapta, who slept in the bunk next to hers and could hear and see everything that happened at every inspection. 

The rest of the week passed in a blur of avoiding texts from Bow and Glimmer, dreading seeing Stone, and struggling to keep up in classes. There was something to be said about the structure of military culture. It kept Adora busy and didn’t really give her time to think about drama or even her own thoughts. Even her free time in the evenings was taken up by homework.

Before Adora knew it, the last bell rang on Friday afternoon and classes were over. The very last thing between her and the dance was the dreaded obstacle course. 

The cadets of building three met Stone and Garnet behind the mess hall right at sixteen-hundred-hours, as ordered. Adora could already see people moving the benches and tables in the mess hall to clear a space for the dance floor. Pushing down the excitement, she turned her attention to the obstacle course. It was a legitimate course, like what Adora would see in a movie. There were ropes courses, tires, barbed wire, the works. 

Stone had them all line up and the Garnet sent the cadets through at intervals of thirty seconds each. Stone did what she did best; she yelled at each cadet as they approached the hardest of the obstacles, insulted their paces and technique. It didn’t matter if the cadet was performing well, they got an earful from Stone either way. Adora tried to calm her nerves as she approached the beginning of the line. What sort of abuse was Stone saving for her? 

Adora did her best, in the precious minutes left before her turn, to try and memorize the obstacles, see if there were any techniques or shortcuts that the others were doing to get through faster. Another sergeant that Adora had never seen before was posted at the end of the course and holding a clipboard. She was writing down every cadet’s finished time as they each collapsed, doubled over and out of breath. 

Then, Entrapta reached the head of the line. Sergeant Garnet shouted “Go, go go cadet!” and Entrapta was off, leaving a gaping void in her wake. 

Adora eyed Garnet, who stared at her stopwatch, counting down the seconds for Adora’s start. Despite herself, Adora looked across the field to Stone. To her surprise, the cadet captain was striding over, her gaze intent on Adora and one of those mischievous smirks pulling on her lips.

“Go, go, go cadet!” shouted Garnet and Adora lurched forward, so very unprepared. 

The first obstacle was the two lines of tires, just like out of a movie. Stone started her abuse as soon as Adora reached them.

“C’mon cadet, lift those knees up - higher, higher!”

Apparently Stone had taken it upon herself to be Adora’s personal drill sergeant for this training exercise. Well, fine. Then Adora would go out of her way to be amazing.

Except this course already felt over Adora’s skill level. The morning drills this week could only do so much to prepare her for this, as she was still pretty unfit. But she had resilience; she was going to show Stone that she could do it and wipe that smirk off her face.

“HIGHER, CADET.”

So she did, her knees almost hitting her chest. Sweat was already pouring into her sports bra by the time she was clear of the tires. Next up: a ropes course.

Climbing up the ramp using the line tethered to it, the cadets had to make their way across the rope grid, then back down the other side.

As Adora mounted the ramp, Stone came closer to yell in her face. “Is this really as fast as you can go, cadet? Pathetic, you’re an absolute waste!”

Adora grunted and grit her teeth, pulling herself up as fast as possible. Her biceps burned but she didn’t care. No time to rest when she got to the top, she had the grid to face. The squares between the criss-crossed ropes were big enough that she could easily lose a whole arm or leg through the gaps. She had to be careful not to get caught up in them. 

She hesitated for maybe a fraction of a second, but already Stone was on her case. “Taking a nap, cadet? Let’s GO!”

Her heart jumping into her throat, Adora threw herself onto her side and began rolling as fast as she could across the grid.

“Go, go, go!” Stone yelled from below. Adora tried not to look down at Stone whenever her roll forced her to face the ground, determined not to be distracted. 

The end of the grid had a sharp incline where the ropes were secured back into the wooden supports. To counteract this, Adora grabbed a handful of rope and climbed the rest like a ladder, ignoring the burning in her thighs. Trying not to hesitate again, she seized the vertical rope that would help her down to the ground. As gracefully as possible, she wrapped her legs around the rope and, hand-over-hand, like she’d seen the other cadets do, lowered herself down.

Some kind of relief must have shown on Adora’s face when her boots touched the dirt, as Stone was immediately on her case again. “You’re not even halfway done, cadet, you better not be smiling right now.”

Adora took off for the next obstacle, a series of wooden benches that must be hurdled. She was panting so much, the air ripping in and out of her over-exerted lungs, but she couldn’t stop. She was already so tired but she couldn’t let Stone see. 

“Hurry up, Collins!”

She didn’t know if it was allowed to use her hands to help with the hurdles but she did anyway. Hands, feet, hands, feet, hands, feet. That was the pattern her brain made as she started zoning out, so physically out of it that she just stopped thinking. She could barely even hear Stone’s abuse anymore. 

Next was a short set of monkey bars. On a playground they seemed harmless but here in this course they only made Adora want to stop and groan.

Another moment’s hesitation and Stone was on her. “Let’s go, Collins, hurry up!”

Sick from the course and wanting it to be over, Adora took a running leap and caught the third bar in. She grunted heavily with each swing, each bar.

“Oh, cheating now are we?” Stone shouted, but Adora could hear the smirk in her voice.

By the time Adora finished the monkey bars, the muscles in her hands were seizing - they were definitely not used to holding up her body weight. She landed heavily and ran as fast as she could over to the final obstacle - the barbed under under which she must army crawl. At this point, she was panting so hard she felt she could barely see, her boots had become so cumbersome that she felt she could barely lift them and almost tripped.

“Aw, tripping up cadet? About time,” came Stone’s last comment before Adora threw herself on the ground and crawled as if her life depended on it. She tasted dirt and felt the occasional rock under her knees but kept going anyway: the end was in sight. 

Adora had not realized how fast she had been going until she saw boot soles in front of her beneath the barbed wire. Adora had caught up to Entrapta in her haste to please Stone. Entrapta exited the obstacle and stood, Adora following just behind. 

When she was fully upright, Adora put her hands on her hips and smiled, panting, at Stone. Instead of being impressed, the cadet captain simply said something that made Adora’s blood boil.

“Guess your stepdaddy being the commandant doesn’t necessarily mean you’re talented.”

Adora glared at Stone, biting her tongue. She wanted to say,  _ look, I caught up with Entrapta!  _ But she didn’t want to rub that in her friend’s face (and in any case, her chest was heaving from lack of breath so hard she probably couldn’t speak at all). Instead she was surprised when Entrapta piped up: “Adora and I finished at the same time, ma’am, and Adora began thirty seconds after me. She is certainly talented and it is not because of any special treatment from the commandant.”

This remark took Stone aback. She spat, “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Cadet Dryl. For your insolence, both you and Cadet Collins have to do the course again. If you don’t beat the time your first time, you have to repeat until you do.”

“Yes ma’am,” said Entrapta, saluting the captain.

Stone looked at Adora, expecting the same. Adora tightened her jaw and flared her nostrils, but reluctantly saluted as well. Then she walked with Entrapta to the back of the line of cadets, resigned to do the course again.

“Why is she like this?” Adora groaned.

“It does seem like Stone has some kind of vendetta against you,” said Entrapta.

“That’s what I’m saying!!”

“Did you do something to her?”

“Yeah. Exist.”

Entrapta nodded but she was now staring at the ground, miles away. She got like this sometimes, lost in her thoughts; designing something new for robotics or something, who knows. Anyway, she was now lost to Adora. 

Adora spent the rest of her time in line going over the course in her head and trying to figure out how she could beat her time. She didn’t really fancy doing the course more than once. It had to be at least 17:30 by now, which meant that any time for dance preparation was becoming more slim by the minute. Adora was getting antsy; surely Stone wouldn’t make her and Entrapta miss it? Surely she wasn’t that cruel?

The second run-through was tougher than the first, mostly because Adora’s muscles were already aching and her body was exhausted. Would she be able to dance at all tonight? 

Without fail, Stone was on her tail again, shouting abuse. Adora scrambled and clambered and all those different adjectives to make it through the obstacles. Everything hurt: her muscles screamed and her lungs burned but she made sure she was in the zone, made sure that Stone would have no reason to delay this any further.

And when Adora finished the barbed wire obstacle and got to her feet, there was Stone, arms crossed, and smirking in a way that made Adora uneasy. No other cadet was in sight, not even Entrapta. 

“Well?” asked Adora through her panting. When Stone raised an eyebrow, Adora added “ma’am?”

Sergeant Garnet approached and said, “Cadet Collins did it, Catra. She beat her original time.”

Stone’s face flickered unpleasantly, then settled into an uninterested expression.

“I don’t think her technique was up to par. I think she needs a few more rounds.”

Adora’s face burned but she bit her tongue as Scopria interjected. “But Catra-”

“I said what I said, Scorpia,” said Stone, using an unusually sharp nail to pick something nonchalantly out of her teeth. “You will stay here with her and go through the course until Cadet Collins finishes a satisfactory run. She must perfect every obstacle.”

“Yes ma’am,” said Sgt. Garnet, quailing under Stone’s glare. This sight gave Adora the bizarre desire to laugh, as Garnet was at least a head taller than the cadet captain. 

Instead of laughing, Adora chimed in: “But no other cadet has had to do the course so many times, and the dance--”   


“Oh, you won’t be attending the dance, cadet,” said Stone slowly, savoring every word. “You are going to stay here with Sergeant Garnet and I won’t hear another word about it.” 

Tears of injustice stung Adora’s eyes and she blinked them away, not wanting to give Stone the pleasure. 

“Have fun,” Stone said, turning on her heel to go. “I’ll tell you all about the dance… or not.”

Adora watched her go in disbelief, just as a drop of rain landed on her cheek.

It turned out that Catra Stone was more cruel than Adora could ever imagine. 


	5. The Dance

“So, uh, sorry about her,” said Sergeant Garnet. “She gets like this sometimes.”

Adora blinked at her, taken aback. Did Garnet just _apologize_ on behalf of Stone?

“I don’t think we’ve officially met,” continued the sergeant, holding out a meaty hand. “I’m Scorpia.”

“Adora.”

They shook hands as more raindrops started to fall. 

“I mean, she’s my best friend but I know that she can be a little rough around the edges.”

Adora thought that was putting it mildly but said nothing, still stunned by this sudden turn of events. Sergeant Garnet - Scorpia - was holding a normal conversation with Adora and it all felt strange and forbidden. She looked back to where Stone had disappeared, almost certain the captain would be there, watching this interaction and about to butt in to insult the both of them.

“But as Catra _is_ my best friend and since she asked me to do this favor for her, I will have to make sure you keep doing the course. I’m so sorry about that, but I’m sure Catra had good intentions.”

“Sure,” said Adora bitterly, walking over to the start of the course. The gears were turning though; how could she get out of this? Could she somehow convince the sergeant to let her go as early as possible?

Scorpia blew her whistle and Adora took off, heading straight for the rows of tires. 

“Hey Scorpia,” Adora called to the sergeant, her voice bouncing with her movements. “Don’t you want to go to the dance?”

“Oh no,” said Scorpia genially. “It’s not really my thing. I like the music but I don’t really dance. I’m kinda tall. And lumbering.”

Adora finished the tires and was halfway up the wooden ramp when she replied. “You didn’t have a date or anything?” The ramp was becoming slick from the rain.

“Oh no, no,” said Scorpia, waving a hand. “I don’t really date either.” Then she backtracked. “But… Catra did say she would be my date. As friends, obviously.”

This was a thought that seemed to take Scorpia out of herself. There was silence from the sergeant as Adora splashed to the ground and took off toward the hurdles.

After a moment of thought, Scorpia continued assuredly: “I’m sure Catra didn’t forget that she said we’d be dates. She just knew that training you was more important.”

Adora thought fleetingly about the amount of mental exercise it would take to justify Stone being just as mean to Scorpia as she was to everyone else, but it was gone as soon as Adora began focusing on the next obstacle. Instead, and without warning, that old helping instinct kicked in full force as Adora hit the monkey bars, but she was too out of breath to groan at herself. If Bow and Glimmer were here they would say that she just needed to stand down.

But Bow and Glimmer weren’t here.

“Hey Scorpia,” called Adora, voice straining from the physical effort she was exerting. “Do you want to go to the dance with me?”

“Wait, are you serious?” Scorpia said. “That is so nice of you to offer!”

Last but not least, time for the barbed wire. How many more times would Adora have to do this godforsaken course? Scorpia crouched and followed Adora as she crawled, the better to make eye contact. The ground beneath Adora was turning quickly to mud.

“You’re a super nice person, Cadet Adora!” Scorpia said, eyes bright. “I’m only sorry that we haven’t gotten to know each other sooner.”

Adora waited to respond until she was done with the course. After dragging herself out from under the barbed wire, she rolled over onto her back, panting hard.

Scorpia stood over her and offered a meaty hand. Adora took it and let the sergeant pull her up. To her surprise, Scorpia pulled her into a bone-crushing hug as soon as Adora was on her feet. 

“Oh,” said Adora, still breathless. 

“Sorry, sorry,” said Scorpia, releasing her. “I’m a hugger. I should have warned you.”

“No problem,” said Adora, shaking out her sore muscles. The rain was relentless at this point and she was running out of time. “So how did I do?”

“Oh!” said Scorpia, holding up her stopwatch. “I… did not start the time. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay,” said Adora quickly. Why not help Scorpia _and_ get what she wanted at the same time? “Captain Stone said I just had to have good technique, she didn’t say anything about beating a certain time.”

“I’ll start the clock next time, then I’ll have a measurable outcome of our training to take back to Catra,” said Scorpia, beaming. 

“If you say so,” said Adora. She paused, letting the rain cascade down her face, which made her think of that old Hillary Duff song about the rain and the thunder. “But what if -- and hear me out -- what if you didn’t make me do it again and we just went to the dance instead? Captain Stone doesn’t need to know.”

“Oh no, we can’t do that. She would know because she will be at the dance, and if we skimped on the course she would definitely know.”

Adora tried not to vocalize her frustration. Reigning in her anger, she said slowly, “is there a course time that I _could_ beat in order to be perfect? I kinda want to speed this up. It’s raining and I have a dress waiting for me to take it to the dance.”

“Hrm,” said Scorpia, completely missing Adora’s vexation. “I suppose Catra would be impressed if you beat _her_ best time.”

“Oh?” said Adora, perking up. “That totally sounds like something that would annoy h-- I mean, _impress_ her. Do you think I could do it?”

“I honestly don’t know but I completely believe in you!”

 _Well, that was something at least_ , thought Adora. “What’s the time I have to beat?”

“Forty-seven seconds,” said Scorpia slowly, flinching as if expecting an outburst.

“What was my best time from before?”

“One minute, four seconds.”

Adora squared her shoulders. “And it’s raining.”

“Yep.”

“Bring it on,” said Adora, heading over to the start, Scorpia on her heels. “You promise me that if I beat Stone’s time that you will let me quit and we can both go to the dance?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. For sure,” said Scopria, nodding vigorously. “Good luck, Adora.”

Adora sucked in a breath, readying herself. She was about to take off when Scorpia swung out an arm to clothesline her and she let out her breath in a whoosh.

“Actually, what if I did it with you? I’ll start the time and try to hustle you from behind. Then we can both be muddy by the end.”

“You would do that?” asked Adora, feeling more and more that she’d found a new friend.

“Of course!”

“Well then,” said Adora, cracking her knuckles in preparation, “let’s go.”

At Scorpia’s signal, Adora took off running, splashing through the newly formed puddles, a new-born determination gripping her.

She practically flew up the ramp, barely touching the rope for assistance. Instead of rolling, she spider-crawled across the rope grid, using both hands to pull her up onto the last platform, before sliding down the rain-slick vertical rope. She made a muddy splashdown and took the hurdles without the use of her hands. She was flying once again, like the cross country team at her old school. 

Fleetingly, she wondered how far behind Scorpia was, but didn’t chance a glance, lest it slow her down. She took a running leap, feeling like a superhero, like Wonder Woman, and managed to catch the fifth monkey bar, then took the rest two at a time. She ignored the burn in her arms as she swung with great momentum off of the last bar and made another splashdown not far from the barbed wire, under which she dived like she was about to get to home base during the World Series.

She crawled like her life depended on it, like she was getting chased by zombies through creepy dystopian tunnels. She didn’t even care that she had mud and grass in her mouth, that her breathing was ragged, that she felt as though she might have injured her knee somewhere back there - nothing was going to stop her from the finish line. 

And when she got to the end she felt as though she would never be able to stand up again. Was a dance really worth this pain?

But at the end of it all, Adora was undeniably proud of herself. She had become Wonder Woman and it had felt amazing. For once she felt so very powerful. Dare she say - unstoppable?

She only wished Stone had seen it.

But would she have been able to do it with Stone watching?

Scorpia finished a good fifteen seconds later, panting and covered head to toe in mud, which is probably exactly how Adora looked.

“That was…” started Scorpia in between huge gulps of air, “intense.”

All Adora could do was make a noise of strangled acknowledgement. 

For a few more minutes, they just lay there in the mud, catching their breaths and letting the rain cool them off.

“Well?” said Adora. “What was my time?”

“Oh yeah!” said Scorpia, removing the stopwatch from her pocket. “I did stop it when I saw you finish, you were way ahead of me.”

By this time the sun had set beyond the cloud cover and the stopwatch lit up Scorpia’s face as she peered at it. It was under that bluish tint that Adora saw Scorpia’s mouth drop in astonishment.

“You beat Catra’s time.”

“YES!” said Adora, banging her fists on the ground, not caring that it splashed more mud on both of them. 

“Forty-two seconds. I can’t believe it,” said Scorpia.

“Hey!” said Adora. “You just said you believed in me.”

“Well…” said Scorpia sheepishly. “I just knew it would be really difficult. Not only was that Catra’s best time, but that was the best time for any cadet in all of GWMA.”

“What?” said Adora, sitting up. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Well I guess it’s not the best time anymore. You now hold the school record… congratulations Cadet Adora!”

“Wow,” said Adora, laughing. “I was thinking of skipping the dance and going to bed but now I have to go rub it in Stone’s face.”

Filled with adrenaline once more, Adora sprang to her feet. “C’mon, let’s go!”

“You go ahead, Adora, I’ve got some cleaning up to do.”

“But I’ll see you there?”

“I won’t let you down, new friend!”

Adora took a leaf out of the sergeant’s book and hugged her, then sped away toward building three. As she passed the mess hall, she could see colored lights flickering and pulsating. Even over the rain she could hear the pounding of the music. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of Stone in the middle of it all, not even knowing that her obstacle course record was just smashed by the newbie that she hated.

She’d be fashionably late but bring oh-so-much drama.

It was then that she wondered what had become of Entrapta. Did she head out to the dance by herself? Was she waiting for Adora in building three?

But Entrapta was not in building three. There were only a few cadets milling about, obviously the ones who thought they were too good for the dance. One with cornrows whose name Adora was pretty sure was Lonnie called over to her.

“What happened to _you_?”

“Stone happened to me,” growled Adora, marching past the bunks and straight to the showers.

Lonnie whistled sympathetically and another cadet laughed.

* * *

It was just after eight when Adora arrived at the mess hall, squeaky clean and clad in her red dress cinched at the waist in gold. She kept her hair in her usual ponytail, with the pouf at the front. Bow and Glimmer never said anything against her choice to keep her hair the same for years and years. Her mother, on the other hand, always had a snide comment to throw at Adora whenever she saw her daughter dressing up without a change to her hair. The ponytail was the thing that really helped her fit in at military school when she first arrived.

Her instinct was to enter the big mass of crowd but any hope of finding Entrapta in the middle of everything was slim. Instead, she skirted the dance floor, searching the walls for any flowers in Entrapta’s shape.

Sure enough, she found her friend in that blocky, violet dress sitting in a chair with her back to the wall, scribbling in her notebook. When Adora approached, she said, “hey Entrapta, sorry I’m late. You look great.”

“Oh, hello!” said Entrapta, much more brightly than Adora had anticipated.

“Are you doing okay?” asked Adora, leaning closer to be heard as a loud bass-y song came on.

“Oh, I’m GREAT,” she said. “I’ve already observed four awkward conversations and countless rejections. I’m making great strides in my behavioral study!”

Adora laughed. “Well, that’s good. I’m going to grab some punch.”

She meandered to the food table, eyes peeled for Stone. What color dress would the cadet captain be wearing? Maybe black like her heart.

When Adora got to the punch bowl she was surprised to see the back of a dude with long hair in a red suit, almost the same shade as Adora’s dress. She remembered after a moment that boys from outside school were invited and wondered who had brought this guy to be their date.

Then the dude turned around and Adora was face-to-face with Captain Stone. In a suit. A red suit that matched Adora’s perfectly.

At once, several things happened to Adora. One, shame trickled down into her stomach at the thought that she looked like Stone’s date, as they were suddenly matching. Two, a rage flared up in her cheeks, staining them red simply at the sight of her nemesis. And the last and most embarrassing, a pull in her navel. A pull of jealousy, no doubt.

Stone was hot.

Hot and cruel. How unfair was that?

“What the hell are you doing here?” Stone spat, eyes wide. “Don’t tell me Scorpia took pity on you and let you go.”

Not wanting to throw her new friend under the bus, Adora replied, “Nope. And I didn’t even have to talk her out of it. I’m just that good at the obstacle course.”

Stone scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s true. And…” Adora paused for effect. “I beat your record time.”

A flicker of surprise passed over Stone’s face.

“No, you didn’t.”

“I did. Just ask Scorpia.”

“She’s not here, idiot, so I can’t.”

Just then, Adora saw the tall silhouette of Scorpia enter the mess hall.

“Oh, she’s here,” said Adora, nodding to the sergeant. “Go on, ask her.”

Stone shot Adora a glare before marching straight through the dance floor to Scorpia, Adora in her wake. The dancing students parted like the Red Sea for the obviously upset cadet captain. 

When Scorpia caught sight of Stone, her face lit up. “Hi, Catra!”

Scorpia was wearing a sleek red one-shoulder dress. With Adora and Stone she now made up the red throuple.

“Scorpia, please tell me Collins is lying. She did _not_ just beat my obstacle course time.”

Scorpia’s face fell and her hands came together, the index fingers on each hand tapping the other nervously.

“Uh, well, Catra, you see--”

“You’re kidding me.” 

Adora crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue at Stone, who for her part looked like she had swallowed a whole mouthful of the world’s spiciest hot sauce.

“Uh, well, actually I’m not--” said Scorpia, flinching away from the explosion she surely knew was coming.

“I’m serious, this better not be a joke.”

“It’s not a joke,” said Adora. Stone twitched like a cat, quivering in rage. “I beat your time, which means I now have full gloating privileges.”

“Then show me!” Came the outburst. Adora had not yet seen Stone like this. She was almost manic. People nearby were turning to watch the confrontation. “Let’s go back out there and see how good you really are.”

“Right now? Come on, Catra.” The name slipped out without her realizing it. It had been mulling around in her mind all evening ever since she’d heard Scorpia say it.

Stone didn’t even flinch. “I can’t _ever_ believe a stupid idiot like you could beat my time. You’ve only been here for a week.”

“Just means I’m that talented.”

“The stopwatch was broken.”

“Scorpia attested to it.”

“She lied to make you feel better.”

“Catra, that’s not true,” chimed in Scorpia.

“What’s going on, Adora?” Entrapta had arrived, pen poised above paper, watching the interaction with great interest.

“Yeah, Adora, what’s going on?” mimicked Stone. Even though it was meant to wound, the mention of her first name sent a shiver down Adora’s spine. 

“You tell me,” said Adora, trying to ignore the circle of people who were starting to surround the pair of them. “Sounds like you’re itching for a fight.”

“What would your dear stepdaddy do if you got on a cadet captain’s nerves?”

“I’m sure he would know I was sticking up for myself against a bully.”

“Welcome to military school, maggot.”

“ _Don’t_ call me that,” said Adora, eyes flashing.

“What, _maggot_ ?”

“STOP!” shouted Adora, pushing at Stone’s shoulders. 

“Don’t touch me!” Stone yelled, pushing back.

Without warning, a white-hot anger boiled up inside of Adora, a week’s worth of pent-up rage at the cruelty and injustice of the cadet captain’s abuse. She launched herself forward on top of Stone, both of them tumbling to the ground and sliding into a decorative statue. It toppled to the ground, breaking into pieces.

Adora and Stone scrabbled at each other, punching and slapping every inch that they could reach. Then, Adora felt strong arms wrap around her waist and lift her bodily up and away from the cadet captain as though she were made of paper instead of flesh and bone.

It was then that Adora realized the lights of the mess hall had been switched on and the music had stopped. Instead, the whole student body was clapping and cheering, some were calling, “yeah, go Collins!”

Turns out Stone didn’t have a lot of fans at GWMA.

“Sorry about that,” said Scorpia, setting Adora on her feet. “It was for your own good.”

Stone had also gotten to her feet and was straightening out her suit blazer. Something behind Scorpia caught the cadet captain’s eye, and Adora watched as Stone’s scowl turned slowly into that old smirk. Adora repressed another shudder as Stone’s eyes flicked back to meet hers.

“Cadet Collins,” came Hordak’s firm and steady voice above the din. The rest of the students hushed instantly. 

Adora turned around slowly, head down, as she listened to the commandant’s boots approaching. 

“My office. Now.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, saluting dully.

Hordak turned on his heel and walked out. She waved sadly to Entrapta, whose eyes were wide as saucers, and then nodded her thanks to Scorpia.

She reserved a last glare for Captain Stone, who only grinned and crossed her arms over her necktie.

As Adora went, she entertained herself with thoughts of Stone’s appearance after the tussle, hair mussed and suit slightly rumpled.

Once again she felt that urgent tug in her navel and dismissed it as jealousy.


	6. Steep Competition

Adora collapsed unceremoniously into the plush chair facing the commandant’s desk. Hordak paced behind his own chair for a few minutes, stroking his chin like a movie villain who was plotting a new dastardly deed.

She took in a deep breath, letting herself sink into the chair, finally feeling the effects of the obstacle course she had been forced to do so many times. Also throwing in the fact that she had been awake since 5am, she was beyond exhausted. It had been a long end to a long week.

“Adora,” said Hordak, and she braced for the worst. “This seems very unlike you.”

“What, picking fights with girls in suits? Honestly I didn’t foresee this either.”

“I don’t like your tone, cadet. I know I’m not your father but I am your commandant.”

“Sorry, Sir.”

There was a pause as Hordak sighed.

“This doesn’t look very good on me, you know. I am new to this position and I want to make my father’s memory proud. What do you think people will say if my own step daughter was picking fights with my cadet captains?”

“That’s really all you care about, your reputation?” said Adora, not caring that she had snapped. She was too tired to be angry. She was just disappointed.

“Of course not,” shot back the commandant. Then he sighed once more and ran both hands through his white hair. “I can’t let this go without some sort of a punishment.”

“Yes, you can,” said Adora, sitting up. What would Octavia say if Hordak had to give her detention or something her first week? She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gotten in trouble at school. Damn Stone. Why did she have to goad Adora like that?

“Because you’re my step-daughter, it’s my duty to hold you at a higher standard than the rest of the cadets. I don’t want to show any favoritism.”

“You wouldn’t be, you’d just be letting off a new cadet with a warning.”

Hordak surveyed her for a moment. She smiled cheesily, hoping her cuteness would get her off the hook.

It seemed to work. “You  _ promise  _ you won’t show anymore insolence toward your captain? Especially not violence?”

“I promise,” said Adora, but somehow she doubted this would be the last of her feud with Stone. 

“If anything else comes of this… friction... then I will be forced to dole out some sort of punishment. I want you to realize that.”

“Yes, Sir,” said Adora.

“All right, you’re dismissed. Will I see you at home this weekend?”

“Definitely,” said Adora, standing to leave.

“Adora,” he said, stopping her at the door. “I heard you beat Captain Stone’s obstacle course record.”

Hand resting on the doorknob, she turned back to look at him. “I did.”

“Great job, cadet,” he said, a small smile spreading across his broad face.

“Thanks!” she said, lighter than air.

* * *

She slept hard that night. She had never been so glad to hit that hard military cot after she was released from the commandant’s office. It was a dreamless, refreshing sleep and the next morning when she woke at 7am it felt strange to have slept in so long.

When she checked her phone she saw she had texts galore. Her stomach twisted thinking about how she had ignored Bow and Glimmer pretty much all week. She definitely owed them a long FaceTime catch-up.

She also had a text from Micah. It said,  _ hello baby girl. How was your first week under facsist rule? _

Out of everyone, she wished she could talk with her dad, but she had to wait several hours because of the time differences. The east coast was the first to see the sun rise in the morning.

She replied to her dad with a quick,  _ i can tell you all about it, wanna chat before your next show? _

Pushing herself up on one elbow, Adora surveyed building three. It looked as though less than half of the cadets had gone home for the weekend. Some of them had fallen asleep in their dresses from the night before. Adora thought she had gotten in late but these girls had arrived back much later; those cots had been empty when Adora had gone to bed.

Entrapta was awake and reading select passages from her own notebook. 

“Hey, Entrapta,” Adora called, digging under her pillow to unearth her Best Friend Squad figurines and replace them on her cot’s headboard. The better to spite Stone.

“Hello,” said Entrapta. “Did you get in trouble with the commandant?”

“No, thankfully he let me off. I’m just that charming,” said Adora, stretching confidently, but smacking her hand on the steel bed frame and causing a jolt of pain to run all the way up her arm. She grabbed the injured hand in the other. “Ow!”

“I would love to say that Stone went home for the weekend and that she’s out of your hair but unfortunately she never goes home on the weekends. She stays and hangs out with Sergeant Garnet instead,” said Entrapta, bursting with knowledge as usual.

“Well, that’s fine because  _ I’m  _ going home for the weekend.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Will you be okay without me?”

“Oh yes, I’ll be working on my bots anyway.” Entrapta opened her notebook and showed off some sort of complicated schematic.

Adora gave her a thumbs up.

* * *

Adora didn’t hang around long after that. Knowing that she could run into Stone again at any moment (and having no desire to), Adora got the hell out of dodge. She tried her best to ignore the terrible aching in her legs and arms. She would take a bath and soak them with Epsom later.

On her (slow) walk to the house, she decided to start a FaceTime with the Best Friend Squad and see if either of them were available.

Bow picked up on the third ring and Glimmer joined mere seconds later.

“ADORAAAA!” wailed Bow, his phone exactly two inches from his face. She could practically see up his nostrils.

“Bow, chill!” said Glimmer. She was using her “swatting” tone, meaning that if they were all physically in the same place she would have literally swatted at Bow as would a sister. Or a best friend. “Let the girl breathe!”

“Sounds like Bow needs the breath, not me,” said Adora, grinning. “I’m not interrupting anything important, am I?”

“Not unless you count kicking the buttocks of twelve year olds on Rocket League important,” said Bow, finally pulling back the camera so that his whole face was in frame instead of just his nose and eyes.

“You better get back to Rocket League, then, that’s on the same importance tier as solving world hunger,” said Glimmer, rolling her eyes.

“Naw, I go out of my way for my friends,” said Bow, grinning. “Jokes aside, how are you Adora? We’ve missed you so much!”

“I’m…” Adora began, trying to decide whether to tell the truth or a series of half-truths. “I’m okay. It’s been a really rough week.” The truth it was.

“Oh no,” said Glimmer. “What happened?”

“Well… nothing specific,” said Adora, choosing a half-lie next. “It’s just been really different living here and having this structured schedule. We wake up at 5am every day--”

“You WHAT?” said Glimmer, while Bow wailed in agony.

“YEAH! 5am! And then we exercise before breakfast, then eight hours of classes, then dinner, then we have like two minutes of free time and then lights out at nine.”

“Holy crap,” said Glimmer, sounding insulted on Adora’s behalf. “That sucks.”

“And sometimes,” Adora continued, unable to stop the rant from tumbling out, “we have to exercise MORE in the afternoons  _ instead  _ of going to class.”

“That is simply too much exercise,” said Glimmer, frowning.

“Doesn’t sound too bad,” said Bow, who was in both the karate and archery clubs.

“Yeah, but you’re fit,” complained Adora. 

“Sounds like you will be, too,” said Bow, winking.

“What else, what else?” urged Glimmer. “Tell me more, tell me more!”

“You got it, Rizzo,” said Adora. “Well… um… I’ve met a few cool people?”

“But not cooler than us, I’m sure,” Glimmer chimed in immediately.

“Of course not!” Adora hurried to reassure them. “No one beats the Best Friend Squad.”

“What are their names?” asked Bow.

“The first one I met, her name is Entrapta,” said Adora, thinking about the  _ actual  _ first person she met at GWMA, which was Captain Stone. She didn’t know when the main antagonist was going to enter the story but Adora knew it wasn’t yet. “She sleeps in the bunk next to mine. She was nice enough to show me around campus and tell me how to salute properly and all of that.”

“Okay…” said Glimmer, in a way that indicated she was waiting for something juicy, for drama to suddenly unfold.

“And then yesterday I learned that the sergeant of my barracks is really nice and let me go from drills early so I could make it to the dance.”

“Wait, there was a DANCE??” said Bow, eyes practically sparkling.

“Yeah, they always have a welcome back thing apparently.”

“Weird, why didn’t I expect that from a military school?” said Glimmer, crinkling her forehead in confusion.

“I mean, it’s still a school,” said Adora reasonably. “We’re not actually in the reserves, you know.”

“I know, I know…”

“What did you wear?” demanded Bow, all business.

“That red one--”

“--that you wore for homecoming, how did I know?” said Bow. “Were there any cute boys?”

“Bow, it’s an all-girls school.”

“Oh yeah… were there any cute girls?”

Adora knew Bow was joking but her cheeks burned mysteriously.

“People could bring dates from outside of school, so there were some boys there.”

Just then, her phone started ringing; it was Micah on the other line.

“Hey guys, I’m sorry but my dad is calling--”

“No worries!” said Glimmer. “We’ll catch up later.”

“Thanks, love you, see you!”

“Bye!” they said together and she ended the Facetime call so she could pick up the one from Micah.

“Hey, dad!”

“ _ Hey, baby girl. How are you?” _

It was like deja vu. “I’m okay, super tired and sore. It’s like the marine corps around here with how much they make you exercise.”

“ _ I bet, _ ” came Micah’s amused reply. 

“How are you?”

“ _ Oh, same old, same old. Living the dream. _ ”

“Where are you?”

“ _We stopped in St. Louis overnight, on the way to Denver._ _We’re performing at Red Rocks tomorrow which is just…”_

Adora could almost see him pretend to “literally” have his mind blown. 

“ _ But seriously, kiddo, you’re doing okay? I know that was a big transition. _ ”

“I am doing okay,” said Adora, as truthful as she dared to get. “I really miss you. I could use a little magic in my life.”

“ _ There's magic all around you,”  _ he said cryptically. “ _ You just gotta know where to look. _ ”

She heard the wink in his voice. She heard the closure too.

“ _ Listen, baby girl, it was great hearing your voice but we’re at a pit stop. I’ll talk to you so soon, okay? _ ”

“Okay.”

“ _ I love you, text me more about your week! _ ”

“I love you too. Bye…”

* * *

The rest of the weekend almost felt like normal. She had a virtual game night with the Best Friend Squad on Saturday. They played Jackbox games on her laptop after a slightly tense dinner with Octavia and Hordak. To Adora’s immense surprise, Hordak did not mention anything about Adora’s fight with Stone. Maybe she could trust him after all.

By Sunday more, deeper soreness settled into her body. She honestly thought DOMS was a myth but here she was, two days after the insane obstacle course challenge, feeling like her body had betrayed her. She spent the majority of Sunday stretching, foam-rolling, and just laying around because she could barely stand.

All she knew was that she could  _ not _ show up Monday morning limping around. She had to be sure not to give Stone a single reason to spout abuse at her. She would at least be good for a few days, like she promised Hordak.

That was all thrown out the window Monday morning at inspection. 

Stone barely glanced at any of the cadets, making a beeline straight for Adora. For her part, Adora stared at a spot on the wall behind Lonnie’s shoulder, who was right across the aisle from her, pretending not to notice that Stone was showing her special attention. Not good attention, mind you.

“Cadet Collins,” Stone barked, Scorpia right on her heels, clipboard in hand (as ever).

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am?” Adora called back, determined to act like this was just a normal interaction after a normal weekend. She could feel the rest of the cadets holding their breath. She was sure news of the fight at the dance traveled fast.

“I hope you were not planning on doing anything important during free time tonight because you will be at the obstacle course with me instead.”

Adora couldn’t help but make eye contact with the cadet captain at that statement. Her sore muscles twinged at the thought of doing that course again so soon.   


Scorpia came to her rescue. “Actually, Captain Stone, we have drill team practice tonight, remember?”

Stone froze, calculating. She held up a hand at Scorpia, who took a step back and bowed her head in submission. Poor thing was whipped.

“Looks like you’re off the hook tonight, Collins,” said Stone, anger marring her tone. “Standby for the day we do the obstacle course. You and I will go head-to-head and we’ll see once and for all who holds the GWMA record.”

“Yes, ma’am, looking forward to it ma’am!” called Adora, eyes fixed back on the wall. 

“I bet you are,” said Stone. She gave Adora one last lingering glare before stalking all the way down the aisle and shutting herself in the Cadet Captain’s quarters.

“Dismissed!” Scorpia called and there was a flurry of movement as the cadets filed out of building three.

Scorpia gave Adora a smile and a little wave and Adora realized she’d been holding her breath.

* * *

The inspections got more and more aggressive as the week went on. Adora half-dreaded and half-looked forward to seeing Stone. She hated Stone so much… but there was this undeniable pull that Adora just couldn’t explain. Was it because this was one person that Adora couldn’t figure out how to help? Or was it because this was someone who disliked Adora for no reason and Adora was desperate to win their favor? She couldn’t remember the last time someone showed outright disdain for her. It was really grinding on her. 

But then again, Stone didn’t seem to like anyone, not even her “best friend” Scorpia, who really at this point was just being taken advantage of. Maybe that’s what Adora was meant to do, persuade Scorpia to break ties with Stone and become a Super Pal Trio with Adora and Entrapta? This is what plagued her every night as she lay on her cot.

But finally the day did come. Thursday of that week Stone approached Adora at dinner and announced that they were to go head-to-head on the obstacle course. 

Adora exchanged a glance with Entrapta, who promptly rose and left the table with an awkward little chuckle. So much for backup.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Adora, restraining an insult. She remembered what she had promised Hordak. It hadn’t even been a week since the fight during the Welcome Back Dance. She had to keep her cool for as long as she could... but she also couldn’t turn down the chance to whoop Stone’s course time right in front of her. 

And so Adora reported to the obstacle course just beyond the mess hall at 6:30 sharp. Stone and Scorpia were already waiting there for her. She had said her goodbyes to Entrapta, who had some kind of science-y thing to tinker with and who wasn’t too concerned that this may be the last time she’d ever see Adora. After all, if Adora won, Stone might just literally go on a killing spree.

“Hi Adora!” Scorpia called when Adora neared the pair. At least one of them was excited to see her.

Stone had her arms crossed and was tapping a foot impatiently. To Adora’s surprise, Stone was barefoot. Was she going to do the obstacle course without boots? It occurred to Adora that that might be the captain’s secret to holding the record. That or luck.

“About time, Collins.” The cadet captain’s snark was truly never-ending.

“I’m right on time,” said Adora, cracking her knuckles and her neck, hoping to seem as intimidating as an average-height blonde teenager could be. Her muscles had finally healed from the week before. She felt stronger and more lithe already. Stone was going down.

“Well, without further ado, I guess we better get going before it gets dark,” said Scorpia, readying her stopwatch.

“Fine with me,” said Stone, pulling an arm across her chest in a stretch, like she was mimicking Adora.

“Are we going one at a time or together?” asked Adora, hoping it was the former.

“Obviously the most accurate way is to go at the same time and see who gets to the finish first,” sneered Stone. Adora was afraid of that. More opportunities for hand-to-hand combat, exactly what Hordak had warned against.

“Fine,” said Adora, unwilling to concede a single part of the challenge, despite thoughts of Hordak’s impending disappointment.

They stood side by side at the start, waiting for Scorpia’s whistle. Adora looked down and saw Stone’s toes spread, gripping the ground like a monkey. A sudden worry spread over Adora: What if she was out of her league?

Then Scorpia’s whistle blew and the worry disappeared.

How could she lose? She was Wonder Woman.

Adora expected to fight for the lead, but not physically. First thing, Stone held out a foot to try and trip Adora, who thankfully had the reaction time to hop over the outstretched leg.

Fighting dirty, was she?

In retaliation, Adora stopped and held out an arm, perfectly clotheslining the cadet captain and slamming her back into the ground. Adora ran on, listening with a grin to Stone’s cry of rage.

She took the tires as fast as she could, afraid to lose time by checking over her shoulder to see where Stone was. She finished the tires without incident and crossed the gap between the tires and rope course at a sprint. 

She mounted the ramp, using her momentum from her sprint to get halfway up without use of the rope. Then she hurled herself up and launched herself onto the rope grid.

There was no need to look behind now. With impeccable balance, Stone was picking her way across the grid, using those inhuman feet to help her pass Adora, who was still crossing on all fours. Then, Stone disappeared as she landed cat-like in a crouch on the ground below. By the time Adora landed where Stone had been, the cadet captain had taken off again. Adora swore under her breath and trained her eyes on Stone’s back, zoning in, trying to catch up.

Stone took the hurdles like a pro but Adora had closed the gap between them slightly before the next obstacle. Adora, gasping harshly, didn’t even hesitate between each hurdle, swinging her legs up and up and up, not even using her hands for help as Stone was doing. By the time they finished the hurdles, they were neck-and-neck.

Adora was clearly the faster runner, but Stone was much more agile on the obstacles themselves. Could Adora use that to her advantage?

They hit the monkey bars together, both scrabbling for the first grip. In another dirty move, Stone threw out an elbow with the intention to strike Adora in the solar plexus and knock the wind out of her. Fortunately, Stone missed, her elbow landing a bit higher on Adora’s rib cage. This was just as well, as it didn’t have the desired effect. 

Stone was still faster on the monkey bars, pulling well ahead of Adora, who felt like she was going as fast as she could even skipping every other bar. She had one more shot to overtake Stone and win.

The cadet captain finished the monkey bars with Adora seconds behind. The last gap between the bars and the barbed wire was Adora’s last chance to catch up. She let her legs carry her, flying across the ground. Stone was about to enter the barbed wire section and in a desperate attempt to get in front of her, Adora lunged forward and slid into a dive, miraculously surpassing Stone as both of them began their crawls. It was a messy affair, not just because of the dirt and grass they were pulling up, but because each of the contestants were pushing and kicking at the other in an attempt to slow them down. 

Adora couldn’t imagine how this looked to an outsider like Scorpia. She decided she didn’t want to know. They both reached the end of the barbed wire section at almost the same time, scrabbling roughly with each other. 

Scorpia thundered over to stand above them, holding her stopwatch aloft.

Adora pulled herself away from Stone and stood. She dusted herself off, panting heavily.

“Well?” barked Stone, also standing. “Who won?”

“That was so close, you guys,” said Scorpia nervously. “That was so close I don’t think I can call it...”

“CALL IT,” snarled Stone, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. 

“Don’t want to rush her,” said Adora between pants. “She might name me as the winner.”

“Shut it,” came Stone’s reply, eyes trained on Scorpia, who looked as though she wished the ground would open and swallow her whole. “Who won?”

“You know, Catra,” said Scorpia, stalling. “I think you were both winners. I think you should both get a participation trophy.”

“Are you shitting me, Scopria?!” Here was the explosion. “You need to call a winner right here and right now!”

“C’mon Stone, calm down,” said Adora, crossing her arms and grinning. She was going to milk this for all it was worth.

“That’s Captain Stone to you,  _ maggot,”  _ Stone spat back, rounding on Adora. Her index finger found a place on Adora’s chest, digging in as she advanced on her subordinate. Adora did her best to stand her ground. “Who the  _ hell  _ do you think--”

But she was interrupted by another voice calling across the quad.

“Cadet Captain Stone, what exactly is going on here?”

All three students turned at the sound to find Commandant Hordak striding across the grounds toward them. His expression was nothing short of venomous. 

Scorpia, Stone, and Adora snapped immediately to attention, arms bent in salutes. 

“Just teaching the new recruit a lesson, Sir!” called Stone in her best army-brat voice. 

“What exactly is that lesson?” asked Hordak as he approached and began pacing in front of them all.

“Manners, Sir!” called Stone.

It took all the restraint Adora could muster not to roll her eyes.

“I’m not sure if that is necessary, Cadet Captain. I order you to back down from assigning Cadet Collins and Sergeant Garnet any extra tasks during their free time. It is up to me as you commandant to give out and execute any punishment. Do I make myself clear?”

“Sir, yes, Sir!” called Stone, a shadow passing over her face.

“Captain Stone, a word please. Collins, Garnet, you are dismissed.”

“Yes Sir! Thank you, Sir!” They both left in haste, Adora shooting a look over her shoulder at her stepfather and mortal enemy. The pair were backlit by the setting sun, the barefoot cadet captain and towering, white-haired commandant. There was something so poetic about Stone getting herself in trouble for picking another fight with Adora.

“So don’t tell Catra...” said Scopria, scratching at the back of her shaved head awkwardly as they walked side-by-side. “But you totally won that race. Just sayin’.”

“I am going to sleep so well tonight,” sighed Adora happily. She could already feel her walk turn into a confident swagger beneath her.

* * *

Just as Adora suspected, Stone was out for blood at inspection that night. Once again she made a beeline straight for Adora without even glancing at the other cadets and Adora definitely knew why. She had expected this, which is why she made sure that there was nothing that Stone could chastise her for. She had even hidden her Best Friend Squad figurines under her pillow again, though she’d had them on display all week.

Without a word, Stone stopped in front of Adora and scrutinized her closely. Even Adora’s badge was polished to a shine. After almost a full minute of close examination, it looked like Adora was off the hook. Stone was about to turn away when something caught her eye.

“What is that, Cadet Collins?”

Adora said nothing, nor did she look around. She would not fall for the bait, sure this was a trick.

“What. Is. That?” Stone asked again. She said it slowly, as though talking to a child.

“This cadet does not know what you mean, ma’am!” called Adora. She was positive there was nothing incriminating anywhere near her.

A silence punctuated only by the clicking and squeaking of Stone’s boots on the linoleum ensued as the cadet captain walked back towards the head of the Adora’s bunk, stopped for a second, then returned. 

“This,” said Stone, sneering in Adora’s face. She was holding up the mini figurine in the shape of Bow from the Best Friend Squad collection.  _ Shit. _ How did that fall from under her pillow? “I didn’t know you still played with dolls, cadet.”

“It’s not a doll, ma’am!” called Adora. “It’s--”

“I don’t fucking care what it is, cadet!” roared Stone, who had been coldly calm until now. “I told you I didn’t want to see it in my barracks.”

Before Adora could react, Stone dropped the mini figurine and stomped it into the ground, smashing it into pieces. Stone went back to the cot and ripped off the pillow, revealing the other two figurines. She took those too and crushed them under her boot maliciously, making sure to watch Adora’s face closely.

Adora did not even blink. She stared, stony-faced at the wall, tears stinging her eyes, holding her breath. She dared not blink in case a tear were to fall on her cheek, showing her weakness.

“And now I won’t,” Stone sneered into Adora’s face. She could feel spit flecking her cheek. Still she did not move. 

“Captain Stone, ma’am, I think the point has been made,” called Scorpia, white as a sheet. This marked the first time that the sergeant had intervened in Stone’s torturing of Adora.

“Dismissed!” barked the cadet captain, kicking the remnants of the mini-figurines so they scattered across the floor.

“I’m sorry,” Scorpia whispered as she passed, sweeping up the mess Stone had made. Adora saw her own miniature head in the rubble.

A tear escaped just as Stone slammed her door shut at the end of the hall.


End file.
